


Alis Volat Propriis

by van_daalen



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Gen, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Mostly Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-23
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-11 08:21:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8971645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/van_daalen/pseuds/van_daalen
Summary: She has been out of the sky for far, far too long. But she is certain that she will never truly return, so much so that she cannot bear to try, and so it is up to those who care for her to lift her back to the heavens.{Alis Volat Propriis: She flies with her own wings}





	

**Author's Note:**

> Includes some minor/implied Genyatta and Rocket Angel. Can also technically be counted as Mercy/Tracer/Pharah (Love Birds?) if you squint hard enough.

It started out innocently enough.

The girl would come over when Fareeha was cleaning her armor, casually ask some questions about the suit, then smile a bittersweet smile. Sometimes she’d pop in something about her days as a pilot, recalling the thrill of being in the air. But she’d always freeze up, frown, and mutter something incoherent. Trying to pry into the matter proved fruitless rather quickly. Regardless of how hard the Egyptian tried, she could never get Lena to explain what was bothering her, or even to merely admit that she was bothered. In the end, Fareeha decided to let it slide for awhile. If things got worse (and get worse they did) she’d do more. Although it hurt to see her friend in pain, she knew damn well that she couldn’t help someone if they didn’t let her. She just hoped that Lena would let her help eventually.

Of course, when the Brit  _ did _ , it was far from what Fareeha had expected, and perhaps far from what she’d consider healthy. But even Lena’s deterioration seemed to start out innocently enough. She spent less time staring at the wings of her friends, instead gazing towards the sky with a sort of longing expression on her face, the occasional smile gracing her lips alongside a sweet memory. When they’d go out on missions she’d work as well as ever, almost mechanical in her efficiency. That wasn’t what caused much concern. It was Lena’s new reliance on her angelic partners- along with her reminiscing, the Brit started asking for lifts across the battlefields more often. It wasn’t odd, nor terribly noticeable at first. As brilliantly fast as she was, the woman couldn’t always outrun Fareeha’s jets, especially when she was confined to the streets, while the Egyptian soared above buildings.

In the end, it was Mercy that noticed the issue worsening. The good doctor wasn’t Lena’s first choice for a simple ride, but, unlike her girlfriend, Angela was able to provide healing as well as transportation. Salvation was draped across her wings wherever she went. That was what brought the time traveler to her- comfort, a grace far too rare for them all. Mission after mission, the duo would come together, finding shelter in the embrace of the sky. What ill could possibly have come from it? Neither Angela nor Fareeha could have understood what the trips meant to Tracer, the addiction that came alongside flying. Every moment free of gravity was akin to another dose of dangerous drug. When withdrawal came knocking… admission was difficult, and trickery far, far easier.

Tracer’s smile could light up the whole world- and blind it, letting darker things slip by unnoticed. A quick jest, a flash of a grin, and she could wipe away the remains of her guilt. No one could have quickly realized what she had done. Missions came and went before it became obvious that something was wrong, that the young Brit was acting with a different sort of reckless abandon. Fareeha’s sharp eyes were too often turned elsewhere to catch it, to decipher the clues, but Angela had spent her whole life examining wounds. The realization ended up hitting her in the midst of a firefight. ‘Twas a small one, in the scale of things, and that was what allowed her mind to connect the dots. When Lena had cried out, screaming her name, begging for help, the good doctor had come flying. She hadn’t known how the Talon mercs had managed to hit the Brit, how they had been able to create the scene she stumbled upon. Things had only gotten more confusing when she had taken a single glance at her patient’s injuries.

They were all inflicted by lasers.

The mercs they had been fighting only used ‘traditional’ guns.

Before she had been able to ask a single question, or even fully process the information, her friend had passed out, forcing her to switch tactics. By the time she had patched Lena up the fight was over. They had flown the short distance back to the base in silence, the look on Angela’s face letting her companion know that the truth had been revealed. As soon as they had touched back down Tracer blinked away without a word. Unwilling to let it go, the doctor had followed, dragging Fareeha with her. Neither of them had been unable to keep up with the Brit, but it hadn’t been hard to guess where she’d end up. She had been found atop the highest point of the base, her knees tucked into her chest, gaze locked on the great blue above her. A few tears had spilled out from her eyes, forming shallow pools where her goggles met her face.

“I jus’ miss flyin so much, ya know?” She had whimpered, refusing to look either of them in the eyes. They had spent a few hours up there, trying to understand the situation better, trying to somehow make things better. Once Lena had stopped crying they had taken her back inside, deciding to handle the rest in the morning. None of them ended up sleeping well that night.

When the sun came back into view, light creeping in through the base’s windows, both Fareeha and Angela quickly pulled themselves out of bed. Finding a way to help Lena was their number one priority; they simply couldn’t stand to watch her hurt the way she was. And if her troubles had rid them of rest, they decided they might as well take advantage of the extra time, even if their exhaustion weighed heavy on their shoulders. Together they shuffled along to the kitchen, needing a shot of caffeine to keep them going. As the pot heated up they talked quietly. First of the previous night, then of possible solutions, and lastly of how to keep Lena busy long enough to execute their plans. By the time they were done with their coffee they had all but a few details prepared. With sleepy grins they made their way to the science lab, needing to ask for a few favors from their favorite gorilla.

* * *

 

It started out innocently enough, their plan. Lena didn’t have a clue that they were hiding anything from her. No, the various ‘coping methods’ they set her up to try all seemed realistic, and she could never say no to the Doc. So she had agreed, not having the slightest clue that they were simply trying to distract her.  _ Just a week of hanging with friends, _ she thought, smiling softly.  _ Maybe it won’t be so bad. _ On Sunday morning she strolled into the base’s designated lounge area, excited to see what was in store for her. Even if Angela hadn’t managed to find anything that could fill the plane-shaped hole in her heart, as nothing really could, she knew she’d be able to spend some quality time with her teammates. At the least she’d be distracted for a little while. And sometimes, well, sometimes that was good enough.

“Greetings, Miss Oxton. It is a great pleasure to see you,” came a familiar robotic voice. In the center of the sparsely decorated room were Zenyatta and Genji. Both sat in the lotus position- though, as almost always, the omnic hovered a few inches above the mats they had laid out. For a moment Lena paused, realizing what the day’s activities were going to be. She had tried to meditate before (hadn’t she mentioned that to the Doc?) without much success. But if anyone could get her to relax without falling asleep, it would probably be the two sitting in front of her. Smiling softly she stepped further into the room.

“Nice ta see ya too, Zenyatta, Genji. Nice day we’re having, yeah?” She said, grinning wider. One of the men chuckled, though she couldn’t tell who, and she had a feeling that they were both smiling in their own ways. Together they showed her a few different poses, mantras, and methods of concentration. As hard as she tried, though, she found herself getting more and more distracted. First by the sight of Angela leading a confused looking Reinhardt down a hallway, then by some pretty birds outside, and lastly by the sounds of D.Va playing a game a few rooms down. Luckily for her, both Zenyatta and Genji were rather patient. If either of them minded her, well, absentmindedness, they didn’t show it. And once she fell asleep during her meditation they simply let her be.

Come Monday she was stiff as a board- having fallen asleep again by the TV without proper neck support. So when she found Lucio, waiting in his jogging clothes, by the front of the base all she could do was scream internally. Usually she loved racing with the Brazilian, but at that moment all she wanted to do was go back to bed. Unfortunately for her, her friend was having none of her excuses, and assured her that she just needed to get her blood flowing again. When that didn’t stir her, he made her a deal: If she kept up with him the whole time, not only would he buy her her favorite takeout, but he’d do her chores for the rest of the week. Deciding that running couldn’t be worse than cleaning the base’s bathrooms, Lena soon gave in. Together they ran and ran, zooming around the city, occasionally stopping to take in the sights or drink some water. By the end of the day she could barely feel her legs, but the food was more than worth it.

Tuesday morning greeted her with a splash of water to her face. She jolted up, instinctively trying to push her ‘attacker’ away. When her hands hit only air she opened her eyes, scowling fiercely, trying to adjust to the room’s darkness.

“Ah, I was wondering when you’d wake,  _ myshka _ ,” a familiar Russian voice said, tone full of amusement.  _ What time is it? _ Lena wondered, realizing that no light was coming through her window. Quickly she glanced over at her alarm clock. What she saw made her groan, fall backwards onto the bed, and pull her pillow over her head.  _ No one should be up at five ‘o fucking clock, _ she thought, groaning even louder when Zarya tried to shake her. “C’mon, Lena. It is not Winter, so no hibernation,  _ da _ ?” In the end the Brit didn’t get up until her companion picked up the mattress and tipped her off of it. Finally awake she gave up on resisting, figuring that she wouldn’t be able to fall back asleep at that point, and followed the Russian to the facility’s gym. Every step hurt her still-sore legs. She sincerely dreaded what was to come, not wanting to have to move anymore than she already had. “First we stretch, so we don’t pull muscles. Sound good?” Lena groaned again in response, eyelids feeling unnecessarily heavy.

What came next ended up seeming like a blur to her, though later on she’d vaguely remember being used as a weight at some point.

Eventually she woke up, back in her room, with a bunch of blankets laid on top of her. Next to her bed was a note, which contained an awkward apology from Zarya. Apparently the pink-haired girl had worked Lena a ‘tad too hard’. At the bottom of the letter she suggested taking the rest of the day off, which the Brit gladly did. Of course, Wednesday rolled around quickly, far quicker than she had hoped for. Worried about the day’s activities she dressed very slowly, hoping to be late to whatever madness Angela had planned for her. But when she was greeted by a smiling gorilla, the stress faded a little, and she found herself grinning. Together the two went over to what had once been the building’s garden. Although the area was overgrown, it was incredibly beautiful in its own way.

They relaxed, simply talking for awhile, and ate a few small snacks. Compared to the previous two days it felt like perfection. Conversations with Winston always made her feel better, especially when they were in such a peaceful environment. The only part that piqued her interest, and busied her already busy mind, was the moment when Angela visited them, asking to speak with her fellow scientist for a few minutes. She had held something behind her back, and spoke to Winston in a terribly quiet voice. Try as she might, Lena had been unable to tell what they were talking about, forcing her to accept the feeling of cluelessness. When she asked her friend about it later he dodged the question, only making her more curious.

It was still on her mind the next day, when McCree had made her join him in the meeting room, where they used the projector to watch old western movies. According to him they were ‘American classics’ and ‘the best thing since sliced bread’. Personally she didn’t really see their appeal, but it ended up being pretty fun to see how into things Jesse got. The real-life cowboy could quote all of the most important scenes by memory- he even tried to do the voices of the characters, regardless of their pitch. All in all it ended up being a day well spent. Even though her curiosity wasn’t satisfied, and she still longed to be back in the pilot seat, she ended up spending most of the day laughing. Sometimes that was all she could ask for, really.

For Lena, Friday ended up being just as fun. Hana, commonly known as D.Va, had woken her up around 10 AM and invited her to a gaming session. They started out with a few simple shooters, mostly to ‘warm up’. Eventually they switched to an online multiplayer game. It started out well enough, until the Brit fell into a losing streak, causing Hana to suggest another change, saying that she didn’t want to ‘lose any rep because of a scrub’. As it turns out, that wasn’t too great of a plan either. Wanting to stick with something competitive, but nothing too serious or involved, they had settled on Mario Kart. Unsurprisingly though, Lena turned out to be  _ quite _ good at the game. Far better than her friend, in fact, to the point that Hana barely stopped herself from rage quitting. In the end she cut the session short, making the Brit promise to never speak of the day’s events to anyone.

D.Va had never been as terrifying as she was in that moment.

(Though Lena was certain she caught a trace of a grin on the younger girl’s face a few seconds later)

Come Saturday, Tracer was both excited and sad, feeling bittersweet about the end of her ‘coping week’. Even though she could easily hang out with her friends again, there had been something  _ special _ about what they were doing for her. The fact that they were doing so much to help her made her heart want to swell up. She had known that they cared- and that they cared greatly- but it hadn’t been at the forefront of her mind for some time. With everything going on, she received a beautiful reminder of that fact. No matter how down she got, or what sort of trouble ailed her, there would always be a team of friends backing her up. All she had to do was ask and they’d come rushing. Hell, as the past week had shown, they’d be there to lend a hand even if she didn’t ask.

The thought was a nice one, and one she let dominate her mind as she climbed into the back of an older car, per Angela’s instructions. Neither the Doc or the vehicle’s driver informed her of the destination, but she was in too good of a mood to mind. All along the ride she thought over the last week, going over each individual day in her head, and quietly deciding that she hadn’t had so much fun in months. Part of her was even considering trying to arrange similar setups every once in awhile. Everyone could use a little R&R now and then, of course, and if the others had had even just half as much fun as she had, they’d likely love the idea as well. By the time the car rolled to a stop, Lena had her mind set on talking to the Doc and Jack when she returned.

“ _ Beeeeeep, wheet whooo dwee! _ ” A familiar ‘voice’ trilled as soon as the Brit stepped outside. The sound of gravel crunching beneath her boots greeted her as well, and a quick glance around explained the slight chill to the air. Besides her stood a Bastion unit, one with two adorable birds perched on its shoulder, while all around them was the beauty of nature. Behind her, where the car was now quietly retreating, was a simple one-point-five lane road, meant only for drop offs at the hiking trail. It was a bit of a surprise to Lena, considering that she had already gone running earlier in the week. That surprise turned to understanding when Bastion walked past the trailhead, ignoring it completely, and started directly into the forest.

What followed was a… mess, of sorts. There were some issues with communication, for a fairly obvious reason, which resulted in the duo being separated on several occasions. First because Bastion had stopped to admire a frog on a stump while Lena kept moving ahead, then secondly when Lena paused to tie her shoelaces, and thirdly when she looked away for two bloody friggin moments, and couldn’t find a big friggin robot when she looked back. Unfortunately for her, finding said Omnic proved to be far more difficult the third time. She tried to retrace her steps, called out a few dozen times, and looked for the footprints that Bastion was likely to leave behind. Despite her best efforts, she only ended up getting more lost. Giving up, she pulled out her phone, hoping to give the Doc a quick ring.

Except she didn’t have any service.

Which, really, she should have expected…

Considering she was in the middle of  _ fucking _ nowhere.

Panic started to gather in her chest, accompanied by nausea, and she did the only thing she could think of: She wandered aimlessly, phone held up, and tried to find high ground in the hopes of getting a better signal. In the end that meant climbing  _ one _ too many rock formations, getting a measly single bar of service, then promptly tripping off said rock formation. When she recovered from her fall, she found herself staring up at a concerned (or amused?) Bastion. Apparently she had been just a dozen meters away from it the whole time. If she had simply stayed still for a minute or two, the Omnic would have found her quite quickly. It was an embarrassing realization that was only made worse by the bruises forming on her body.

When she finally returned to the base, after an hour or so of walking back to the car, she decided to make a quick trip to the med bay for some pain meds. Except when she arrived there was no Angela to be seen. The Doc was almost never outside of her office during the day, and when she was she always left a note explaining where she was. But there was nothing in her workspace to suggest where she was or why she was gone. It felt odd to Lena, who had come to expect utter consistency from Angela. Trying to brush it off as the Doc just stepping out for a moment or two, the Brit sat down on one of the cots, deciding to wait a bit. She twiddled her thumbs, hummed a little song, even swung her legs back and forth until they were dead tired. Still there wasn’t any sign of her friend.

A bit concerned, she decided to wait only a couple minutes longer, then go see if anyone else knew where the Doc could be found. Almost another quarter-hour went by before anything happened. She had been a second away from giving up when she heard distant footsteps, along with voices, coming from outside the room. Though they were faint, she could pick out a few words here and there.

“No, I didn’t tell her… has no clue… Lena still thinks… Yes, we’ll tell her tomorrow… But what if… not ready?” The voices got progressively closer, and Lena was soon able to identify them as Angela’s and Fareeha’s. Their topic of conversation, however, was both unknown and concerning. What didn’t she know? What were they hiding from her? Determined to find out, she quickly pulled open one of the supply closets, went inside of it, and closed the door. Just a moment later she heard the lab doors slide open. “Part of me feels bad about tricking her. I know we’re doing this for her, but sneaking around just… feels strange, you know?”

“I understand, dear, I don’t like it either, but we have to remember that this might make things easier on her. Even with her trauma she’s still-” Fareeha started to say, voice as level as always. Her would-be eavesdropper didn’t get to hear the rest of her sentence, however, because of a  _ very _ poorly timed sneeze. The closet had a fair amount of dust in it, and despite her best efforts, Lena wasn’t able to stop herself. “Wait, did you hear that?... Ange, I think someone’s in here. Get behind me,” Fareeha continued, moving closer to the closet. Behind her the Doc protested, brushing it off as nothing. Knowing full well that the jig was up, Lena opened the closet door, sheepishly smiling up at her friends.

“Heh-heh, oops, that’s, er, that’s not the bathroom,” she said, making a pathetic attempt at an excuse. One of her hands went to the back of her head in a feigned gesture of embarrassment, while the other rested gently on her hip. “I’ll just, er, be goin’ now, see ya-” she started to say, inching towards the exit as she did. Unsurprisingly she didn’t make it far before Fareeha stepped in her path.  _ Shoulda seen that coming, _ the Brit thought, letting out a quiet sigh as she did. “Yeah, didn’t think that one would work…”

Fareeha and Angela exchanged quick glances, both wondering how to proceed, leaving the third woman to stand awkwardly on the side. Only a moment passed before the doctor moved forward, reaching out to place a gentle hand on Lena’s left shoulder. Before she was able to speak, however, she noticed the first of several bruises on the woman’s body. Her eyes widened briefly, followed by a little  _ hmm? _ Temporarily ignoring the issue at hand, Angela  _ tsk _ ed and pulled Lena over to one of the cots, forcing her to sit down on the edge.

“I know you have questions, dear, but I have some too: What happened and where does it hurt?” The doctor asked, tone firm. Although her patient protested, Angela was able to proceed with the examinations (as well as treatment), her professional instincts preventing her from letting the injuries slide. As she quietly patched up what wounds she could, she listened to Lena explain the incident with Bastion.  _ So much for a nice hike, _ Angela thought, pursing her lips a bit. Things were deviating quite harshly from her plan; the last day of the coping week was supposed to simple, nice, just something easy. Being bruised up like she was meant Lena might not be able to actually enjoy her surprise. “Hmm… I think I’ve done all I can, at least for the time being. Now I imagine you’ll be wanting an explanation for what you heard?”

With a little grin, the Brit shifted, looking up at Angela with eager eyes. For a moment the doctor paused, waiting for a curt nod from Fareeha before speaking.

“As you know, we wanted to help you cope with everything that has happened- primarily the loss of your ability to fly. That has always been the goal, from the start, and the…  _ deception _ did not lessen it. We- well, we simply wished it to be a most pleasant surprise,” Angela explained, occasionally glancing at Fareeha for a small measure of reassurance. “Neither of us anticipated you returning so early, so we had hoped to show you tomorrow morning, but, well… I think, uh, perhaps… we could show you now. Somehow I doubt you’d be able to sleep well if we put it off,” she added, letting out a quiet laugh. 

“Well then, if you’ll follow me,” Fareeha said, grinning, as she turned towards the exit.

* * *

 

It started out innocently enough, her excitement. A little grin, the slightest pep to her step, and a burst of warmth in her chest. Then it progressed, her smile stretching ear to ear, her stride practically turning into a skip, and a sort of tingle throughout most of her body. When she had to pause for a moment while Fareeha opened a door, she thought she might explode. Lena wanted nothing more than to find out what her friends had planned for her. Part of her had been a bit irked about their secrecy earlier, but now her joy overpowered that, pushing it aside with ease. Both of her hands clenched into fists- not out of anger, no, simply because she wanted to resist the urge to shake them excitedly.

That urge became unstoppable when the science department’s door opened, revealing a messy lab, a towering mystery covered by a white sheet in the center. The Brit almost seemed to flail her hands around as she bounced from foot to foot, eyes bright and wide. Next to her Angela chuckled, wearing a smile of her own, while Fareeha moved towards the shrouded object.

“Are you ready, Lena?” The Egyptian asked, one hand hovering over an edge of the sheet. There was something teasing about the way she did it, especially paired with the half smirk she wore, and it only made her friend more exuberant. Still, she didn’t pull the covering away until Lena was shouting ‘ _ yes yes yes’  _ over and over again. “Alright, alright, here you go.” With a quick motion she yanked the sheet away, revealing pure perfection. Silence filled the room as the Brit froze. Her jaw had dropped, her breath had left her, and her eyes shimmered with the greatest kind of wonder. It took her half a minute to fully recover, feet seemingly cemented to the floor.

“This… this is for me?” She asked, unable to look away. It wasn’t until Angela put a gentle hand on her back and pushed that she was able to move. “I- I can’t believe you guys did this for ‘lil old me. I… I don’t know what to say, luvs,” Lena whispered, reaching an arm out to brush her fingertips against the smooth metal. Behind her the duo responsible stood next to each other, exchanging grins, and gazed up at the evidence of their hardship.

In the center of the room, upon a simple stand, was a suit of armor. Chrome colored pieces were strung together gracefully, attached to an undergarment similar to a pilot’s jumpsuit. Additional strips and bands came in pops of blue and orange. Strapped around the chest was a series of slots, tailored to perfectly fit her chronal accelerator. The real highlight, however, was what stretched out from the back: Two long, thin wings, elegantly assembled, streamlined to perfection. They looked capable of splitting through air with ease- as if they were meant to cut through the clouds themselves. Each wing had several attachments. Although Lena couldn’t fully tell what they were, she could only assume they were what provided the lift needed to get the armor into the air.

“I… I can fly again,” she murmured, turning back to her friends with tears of joy in her eyes. Without warning she launched herself forward, wrapping her thin arms around the duo, unleashing a stream of thanks. She shook and shook and shook, unable to possibly express the things she was feeling inside. Neither of her companions expected her to, however, and simply hugged her back, holding her tight against them. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Lena bawling all the while. When the Brit finally pulled back and took a moment to wipe her face with her sleeve, Fareeha grinned again and spoke up.

“Well, the sun’s still out, so why don’t we take her for a test flight?”

* * *

 

The air rushed all around her for the first time in years. Gravity meant nothing to her- she soared through the clouds, wingtips slicing through the sky effortlessly. Both Fareeha and Angela trailed along, there to back her up whenever she needed them. Getting used to the armor took less time than she had thought, and before she knew it she was conquering the atmosphere. As her wings carved up the clouds she couldn’t help but burst into laughter. This had been everything she had dreamed of and more; it was the epitome of wonder. Coming back to the sky had seemed like an impossibility for so long.

And yet there she was, gliding along, occasionally spinning into dives, pulling off flips like she had been doing it for years.  _ Slipstream V2.0 _ felt weightless on her. It carried her, as she carried it, and lifted her through the beautiful experience.  
“ _ Alis volat propriis, _ ” Angela would murmur later on, as she touched back down. The softest of smiles would grace her lips, her heart would warm up, and she would relish in the purity of the night. “ _ Alis volat propriis, _ once again, she flies with her own wings.”

**Author's Note:**

> This will also be posted on my Tumblr, the-hound-of-new-vegas.


End file.
